Ortwin has been at Surrey since 2003 and grown the Theory and Advanced Computational group to a world leading activity, which is recognised internationally as a driving force in metamaterials and slow-light. Ortwin will be joining Imperial College London to take up the endowed Leverhulme Chair, and we wish him well for the future. Prof. Ortwin Hess indicated: "It has been a pleasure working at the ATI and I have made many friends and colleagues who I will continue to work with after my move. I look forward to expanding my activities and research with collaborations with world leading scientists from around the world."

Prof. Ravi Silva, Director of the ATI said: "Ortwin has been a great asset to the University and we will miss him as part of the management team at Surrey. The possibility for us to work closely with a world class theory group directed by him and synthesis some of his designer materials at the ATI will allow us to push together the frontiers of science, which is a tremendous opportunity."